Chains
by Cephalanthus
Summary: An AU story based on the Fruits Basket characters and concept. Has the potential to be darkangsty and perhaps with a yaoi-ish flavour later on.
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: This is an AU/fantasyish story based upon the Fruits Basket characters and concept (and the strange dreams I had after watching far too many episodes late at night). In my head, it has the potential to be quite dark (what's life without angst?), and also perhaps with a yaoi-ish flavour (Kyou & Yuki)... though this can all be subject to change. If you like, please review-- even knowing one person read it will likely be enough to inspire me to write more.******

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**PROLOGUE****:**

There are stories of the times before-- stories and myths, told to children in their beds, or by the fireside on long winter nights. They speak of a moment when the dying First Spirits made a pact with a small group of humans, offering the use of their powers in exchange for a body to reside within. Resulting from this pact were the Beasts, who were human yet not-- who could command the animals whose Spirit they carried-- who could even at times take on the shape of the animals themselves. 

The stories then tell of an age in which the Beasts lived among the animals, seeing humans and each other only rarely, roaming the lands and waters with the creatures that served them. During this time, a village might not be surprised to hear, in the night, a scurry of small footfalls in the street outside their windows, accompanied by the slower tread of a single human step. A herdsman in the meadows might be seen to bow politely to the wolf passing near his flock-- and more often than not, the wolf would continue by with no more than a glance. 

It was an age of balance, the old ones often whispered. A better day, long gone. 

Legends do not say how the fortress on the hill came to be. It simply appeared in the fabric of history, fully built, and shadowed every event from that moment on. Its walls were made of great stone blocks shaped and fitted and sealed in place, and topped with the chiseled likenesses of animals. Each of its rooms was fitted with all comforts-- yet all were empty. No residents, no servants, no Lord-- until the Beasts began arriving in response to some unknown call. 

Slowly, slowly, the suites came to be filled by the Beasts as they stepped forward out of their dens and nests. And many think that they were glad of the chance to live together, to have a place among others like themselves-- for surely they must have been lonely, existing somewhere between the animal world and that of the humans, fully part of neither. They settled into the fortress as if it had been made for them, finding full suites of rooms suited to their specific needs and tastes-- the Serpent found a stone-paved balcony attached to his chambers, perfect for basking in the sun, while the Sea Dragon's rooms featured several pools of clear water. 

The Beasts came one by one, and as they approached the fortress' gates they were met by a man. This man claimed to have built the fortress-- for them, of course, did they not see the carvings on the battlements?-- and asked an oath in return for the gift of its shelter. Just a small pledge, that while they lived within the grey stone walls they would obey his rulings. The Beasts came one by one, and took the pledge, and entered into their new home. The chains of oath-taking were set in place by their own words, freely given. The rooms filled-- until only one remained. 

And then, the legends say, the man waited by the fortress' gates until the last of the Beasts approached. The Cat listened to the man's words and with characteristic arrogance, denied him, refusing to accept anyone's direction but his own. 

The Cat vanished into the trees, surrounded by the glinting of many eyes. The man turned and entered his fortress. 

And slowly, slowly, the world began to change. 

Time, from that point, was no long myth but history. Guilds kept filed reports of finances and trade in the city of Ishara as it grew around the fortress' walls. Libraries hold transcripts of the speech given by the man calling himself the Beastlord as he stood on the fortress' walls, declaring himself Lord and ruler of the lands. Some of the oldest may remember their great-grandparents telling of the things they saw on the day the Beasts swore fealty to the Lord and placed themselves at his command. 

No records tell of the slow death of something wild and strong in the Beasts as they lived behind their walls-- but nonetheless, it happened. Just as no one knows exactly when the humans stopped respecting the animals and began holding them in something like contempt-- footfalls in the street were greeted with irritation and a pillow held over the ears; a wolf in the meadow was chased away with stones and shouts. For they were but animals, and the Beasts controlled the animals-- what need to respect those things that were nothing more than slaves and puppets? 

Time passed, as it will, and Beasts and Beastlord alike aged. As a Beast died, the Spirit within passed to a successor of blood relation, and was renewed. The Beastlord, when his own time came, took his son away into a sealed room for several days, and after those days the son emerged alone, holding the key to the oaths of the Beasts. 

Time passed, and passed. 

The people grew restless, as their own numbers grew, pushing against the bonds of rule that the Beastlord set. Until finally they rebelled against the confines of his law-- 

And the Beasts came forth from their fortress, and called the animals. The humans scoffed, seeing only the weak and skittish things that they chased with sticks-- until the first of them died with teeth in their throat. Thoughts of rebellion faded to ash as human blood stained the ground red and puddled on the streets. 

The Beastlord watched from the top of his fortress' walls, and it is thought that he laughed. 

And time passed. 


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE:**

Kyou cocked his head to the side, curious. 

People milled around him-- quiet, sullen, completely unremarkable in their browns and greys-- going about their daily business. Yet none came too close, changing their paths and shying away at the last minute, leaving him in a small empty space upon the street. A smirk tugged his lips as he watched them. 

__

_Scurrying away with their eyes down-- they're worse than mice. Mice are clever, for prey. These clumsy, soft things--_ The smirk became a small sneer of disdain, and with a sniff he set about ignoring those around him. Curiousity returned as he fixed his eyes again on the great, grey castle looming over the city, some small distance ahead. It was intriguing, he had to admit-- with the huge, snarling reliefs carved onto the walls, and the dark, empty-looking windows-- and there was something about it that seemed to draw him. 

For a moment he studied it, standing in poised stillness, and then he turned in one swift move to dodge through the crowd and away. He slipped around the corner of a shop and into the alley alongside-- where between one blink and the next, he vanished, and a small orange cat took his place. 

In utter silence, the cat gained the rooftops through a few graceful leaps, and began the trek towards the fortress. 

It was easy enough to enter the massive building-- any potential defence the walls might have offered was negated by the thick branches of vines and trees that had been allowed to grow in sections. Kyou climbed-- sometimes with claws, sometimes with fingers-- and found himself in an empty room 

On two legs, he prowled the room's confines. The floor was mostly open space-- perfect for stretching out to enjoy the sun, part of him noted, or simply for walking-- and the walls were decorated with a series of platforms and shelves that made him twitch a phantom tail as he imagined climbing them. 

But then he looked beyond-- and saw only walls. _Still a cage. No wonder my anscestor turned it down._ Wrinking his nose a bit in distaste, he moved to the door and gave the room no more thought. 

Kyou stepped into the hallway, and froze, sniffing at the air. _So many-- maybe all the rest really **are** here. How pathetic._ He sniffed again, and a faintly surprised expression crossed his face, followed shortly after by a smug, sly grin. _I know **that** smell well enough. It's closer than the others. More recent._

Unconsciously, he licked his lips. _This should be fun._

The small orange cat padded soundlessly down the corridor, ghosting from shadow to shadow and cover to cover, until finally he came to rest before another door. His tail lashed as he glared at the heavy portal, but then his shoulders sagged in what almost seemed a sigh. 

With human hands, he reached out and flipped the latch on the door, pushing it ajar before leaping forward as a blur of orange into the space beyond. 

Cover was easy to find, cluttered as the chamber was-- not messy, or disorganized, but very full nonetheless. There were piles of cushions and blankets in several places-- nests, a part of Kyou's mind noted-- and a virtual warren of bookshelves by the far wall. It was from behind one of these shelves that came a small noise, followed by the appearance of a grey-haired boy. 

Kyou flattened himself down behind the cushions, his tail twitching, and watched. 

The boy walked cautiously to the open door, moving slowly through the room. Kyou took the opportunity to study him. _He doesn't look any older than me. Skinny. Soft. _By reflex, Kyou's claws extended and flexed, digging into the floor a bit. _Shouldn't be difficult._

The boy touched the door lightly and peered through the crack into the hallway, and frowned a bit before pushing it closed. He turned back into the room, presenting his back to his unannounced guest. 

Kyou smiled a bit at the invitation, and pounced. 

To his surprise, he was met in midair, hands meeting hands and deflecting their aim. Pushed aside, Kyou twisted and landed in a crouch, facing the slight boy who suddenly no longer seemed so harmless. 

"I thought there was someone here," the boy said in a quiet, cold voice. "Who are you? How did you get in?" 

Kyou flashed a quick half-grin in reply, and leapt again. 

The two sparred back and forth through the clutter spread across the room, the pale boy deflecting Kyou's attacks with far greater ease than he would have liked. It was only a matter of time before Kyou went down and was pinned beneath his opponent. 

"Now. Who are you?" 

Looking up into pale eyes, Kyou only grinned again-- and, as a small orange cat, bounded out from the other boy's grasp, putting the width of the room between them before changing back to human form. He leaned casually against the wall, and met the boy's stare with a smirk. 

Slowly, the pale boy blinked. "You're the Cat." 

Kyou allowed his smirk to widen a bit. "And you're the Mouse. For prey, you're pretty good." 

One pale eyebrow lifted. "Thank you," the Mouse replied with cool sarcasm. 

"You're still prey, though." Kyou shrugged. "I'll beat you someday." 

The Mouse accepted that statement with a sceptical snort, before his eyes narrowed sharply. "Why are you here?" 

"Was curious." The Cat dismissed the issue with a shrug. 

"You shouldn't be here. You should leave. Get out of the fortress and go back where you came from." 

Kyou glared and pushed off the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll go wherever I want. No damned mouse is going to tell me otherwise." 

If anything, the pale boy's expression grew colder. "You don't have the slightest idea as to what you've walked into, do you, stupid Cat?" 

Kyou bristled. "I am _not_--" 

"Stupid? Prove it. Leave. You would be an idiot to stay." He made as if to turn away and go back to his books, and Kyou opened his mouth to voice an angry retort. 

A loud knock at the door froze them both in place. 

For a moment, they stared at each other, and then a second knock sounded. The Mouse jerked his head sharply to the side; Kyou followed the gesture and disappeared as cat amongst the tall shelves of books. 

It took him a moment to find a good vantage point. By the time he was in position to see what little of the door he could, the Mouse had already pulled open the door and was speaking to the unseen person on the other side. 

"What is it, Hatori?" 

"Lord Akito wants to see you." 

Kyou's ears perked forward in curiousity as the mention of the strange name caused the Mouse to suddenly stiffen in place. 

"Now?" 

The unseen man must have made some motion of reply, because the Mouse nodded sharply and moved to shut the door. A hand appeared from outside to stop the movement. "Yuki--" 

The pale eyebrows drew down in an angry frown. "Give me a moment, if you please" It was a demand, and not a question, and the hand withdrew. The door closed. 

Kyou wormed his way out of his hiding spot as the Mouse-- Yuki-- bent to pull on a pair of low slippers. The grey-haired boy spoked without looking up to see the Cat's approach. "You will be gone from here when I get back," he said in a low voice, pitched so as not the be audible beyond the room's walls. "I'm assuming you came in through a window, so you can go back out the same way-- don't wait too long, or someone will notice your scent in the halls and they'll start to track you." Glancing to the side, he fixed a hard stare on the Cat where he sat nonchalantly washing his paws. "You're just lucky it was Hatori that came to get me, and not Shigure, or you'd be caught already." 

Before Kyou could shift to human in order to reply, the Mouse had pulled open the door a crack and slipped through, closing the heavy panel firmly behind him. 

Kyou sat in the silence for a moment, one paw still half-lifted to his face, then shifted to his human form and settled his chin in his hands. He stared hard at the door, letting his gaze wander around the room only briefly before returning it there. 

Finally, he snorted disdainfully and stood in one fluid movement. _Luck had nothing to do with it. There's no way anyone could actually catch me._ Feeling his smirk return along with his curiousity, he padded over to the door, listening at it carefully before cracking it open. 

The small orange cat slipped up the corridor, keeping to the shadows, testing the air with his nose every few steps. 

__

_Besides, there's no way I'm going to let a mouse tell me what to do._

Twitching his whiskers, the cat slipped around a corner and vanished deeper into the fortress. 


End file.
